Friday, August 31, 2012

Welcome to my Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. I hope you'll link up your best post of the week today, and maybe leave me some comment love. Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link.

This party is a great place to showcase your very best post of the week (home decor, crafts, party ideas, recipes, DIY, etc.) but please do not link to Etsy shops, businesses, items for sale, etc. (I have a Sponsors section, if you'd like to Advertise with me.)

Thursday, August 30, 2012

I shared some fun pictures from our week in Myrtle Beach, but I didn't share the photos I snapped on the beach one morning. I want to order 3 16 x 20 canvas prints from Easy Canvas Prints (one of my sponsors!), but I can't decide which photos to choose. Please, please help me!

The prints will be going over my family room couch (soon to be slipcovered) in a new gallery wall:

I am clearly not a professional photographer, but I really wanted a few shots of my girls on the beach. I managed to wake them up early, and hauled them down to the shore around 7 am. They wore pettiskirts and the embellished rosette tank tops I made for them before the trip.

Please tell me which 3 you think would look good above my couch! I'm thinking that vertical prints might be best for the space??

I haven't edited these, except for a bit of cropping and to add my watermark...

1:

2:

3 (Not a "beach" photo, but a good photo of Natalie in the pettiskirt):

4:

5:

6:

7:

8:

9:

10:

I'm leaning towards the first three photos, even though #3 wasn't taken on the beach. The girls weren't particularly thrilled about going down to the beach at 7 am to have their pictures taken, so we didn't stay long. Obviously not professional quality, but I actually like the idea of displaying photos that I took myself. Sometimes that's the only option you have when professional photography is not an option.

Which 3 do you think I should choose for the canvas order?

*Get your party hats on! My Weekend Bloggy Reading link party is scheduled as usual for tomorrow morning (8 am ET), so be sure to swing by with your best post of the week.

Here's the button code for the party if you want to get a head start! Recipes, crafts, home decor, party ideas, tips and tricks, you name it. Come prepared to showcase your blog and find some great weekend reads.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Chances are, if you're a blogger, or a reader, or if you sometimes look at Facebook, or Twitter, or Pinterest, you've seen some recent talk about bloggers having their work stolen by "scraper sites." These scraper sites steal blog content and repost it on their own sites, using the clicks they get to earn ad money. It's really stinky. I haven't dealt with it in several years (knock on keyboard), but many of my favorite blogs are having to change the way they publish their content through email and online reader systems.

Between content stealers, and seeing people leave mean comments on other blogs, and watching people take advantage of link parties, and being overwhelmed with the start of the school year and being sick this week and not feeling at all creative...I had to sit down last night and remember some of the awesome things about blogging.

It doesn't hurt that I get to try out neat stuff from companies I've always admired (hi, Martha Stewart), and I love having a spot to share my own creative projects. It's nice to get feedback from the five people who read this blog!

Something even cooler and more unexpected is that as a blogger, I get to make connections with people I otherwise might not have ever gotten to know!

This happened most recently when Erin fromHis and Hers emailed me to let me know she was cleaning out some of her things and wondered if my girls might like some of her old American Girl and Barbie stuff. She knew they are both really into their girlie toys and offered to pop a box in the mail to Virginia.

Never one to turn down an opportunity to occupy my kids with something other than begging me for cartoons, I said yes. And what do you know, a box arrived on our front stoop not too long afterwards, and the girls were overjoyed.

I couldn't get over how sweet Erin was to think of us, out of all the people she might have given those fun books and activities to.

This is where I have to pause and smile and remember that even though there are stinky people out there who steal blog posts and ideas and leave ugly comments...there are many more who visit blogs to be a source of encouragement, who think of others, who send boxes from other states because they know it will brighten the day of two little girls.

So, thanks, Erin, for making me smile (and the girls too). And thanks to you, reader, for putting up with a non-crafty-homey-recipe post today.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Oh, how I long for those cool and breezy days of autumn. I look forward to wearing boots, jeans, and cute sweaters. We don't have a lot to spend on clothes lately, but I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Fall Fashion Picks that are affordable.

I don't think you need to pay full price at Janie and Jack or order from expensive boutique catalogs to dress your kids in style....Impressing other parents with labels is overrated. There are plenty of adorable pieces out there!

Believe it or not, Natalie's first day of school outfit came from Wal-Mart. (gasp!) For the first time, I let her choose her dress for the first day, and she thought that this pink one looked "very first grader." No, it's not an outfit that would hold up to wearing once a week...but for around $10, I was happy with the way she looked. Still "little girl" without tons of frills or cartoon characters or peace signs plastered all over it.

I chose a lot of mix and match items for both girls this year. Plain and patterned leggings, cotton tops, polos, skirts that can go with various tops, and jeans. We got a lot of things at Target, Kohls, The Children's Place, Carter's, Crazy 8, and even Wal-Mart. Mary Janes in black and brown; tennis shoes and sneakers from Payless...we've had good luck with those shoes not wearing out. You've seen some of Natalie's school ensembles in my Instagram feed...

I even stopped in at a local consignment sale for a few extras...cute things that I haven't seen anywhere else. Still need a couple of cute church dresses.

As for me, I don't really need any more clothes. But that doesn't mean I can't window shop, right?

I might actually need some leopard print flats. No, I definitely need them. Can you believe those cute shoes are from Payless? The white top is from Wal-Mart and I spotted the other two on Dress Barn's website (who knew?!).

I also spotted some fabulous style boards on Pinterest that would look awesome on me if I was a size 6 again. (Please click the source listed under each photo to Pin directly from the original source.)

And, as I've said before, I haven't bothered much with T's wardrobe because he is uber picky. But I just might drag him to the store with me after his next paycheck. If we're all going to look fabulous, he needs to fit in!

What's your favorite thing to wear in the Fall?*For affordable shopping tips, visit this post from last Fall!If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'm sharing a very simple and inexpensive craft idea that I've had in my drafts for awhile. With summer fading away, how do we keep those beautiful sunny memories close to our hearts? I made a Mini Keyring Photo Album last year to display our beachy memories and I shared it as a guest post on another blog. Today, I'll show you how easy it was to do.

The beauty of this gift is that you do not need to be a scrapbooker to put one of these together! Anyone who can print a photo and cut a straight line can complete this project.

This is how you can create your own mini keyring album in just 10 simple steps:

1. Print your photos
You can print wallet-sized (2 x 3) photos at any Kodak kiosk (I use the one at Target) by choosing the Collage and Mini Print options. This will print 4 photos on a 4 x6 sheet. I spent less than $2.00 for 6 sheets. I recommend having 10 to 12 photos to work with.

2. Cut out each photo individually

3. Lay your photos on the scrapbook paper and measure out "mats"
Be sure to leave enough room in the top left corner for a hole punch to go through.

4. (Optional) Use a craft punch or scissors to round the edges of your photos

5. Glue the photos down onto the scrapbook paper mats
You'll notice I also made a "cover" for my album, using a flower from the scrapbook paper. Too many layers of embellishments can make the laminate tough to adhere, so use them sparingly.

6. Have a local printer laminate your photos
Be sure they leave some space between the album pages when they laminate them. Less than $2.00 at my local shop. Laminating is clearly not the best thing for your pictures, but it helps the album with wear and tear.

7. Cut your album pages out again, being careful to leave a small border of laminate around each one
If you trim too closely to the edge of the paper, the laminate could peel open.

8. Punch a hole in the top left corner of each page
If you made a back cover for your album, be sure to punch through the opposite side.

9. Add your pages to your binder clip and snap closed

10. Embellish the ring with coordinating ribbon

There are so many fun themes to choose from! You could create albums for Holidays, Back to School, Grandparents, Favorite Things, Sisters/Brothers, Pets, Recipes, etc. These are a big hit in our family. I made one with copied heirloom photos for my husband's grandparents several Christmases ago, and they loved it. Gifts like this are perfect for those hard-to-buy-for folks, or older relatives who don't really need or want anything.

Grandmas love to carry these in their purses to show off. I keep mine in a little tray on our coffee table with some photo books.

People appreciate the love that goes into a handmade gift, and I love having a fun little reminder of our summer fun on display!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

If you're here to link up to Weekend Bloggy Reading, it's open for new links until 10 pm (ET) tonight. Please share your best post of the week with us...crafts, recipes, home decor, book reviews--all kinds of posts are welcome.

I like to Feature bloggers who not only have great projects, but who also take the time to link back to me within their post(s). I add many of these Features to my Pinterest page as well as Facebook!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

All kinds of posts are welcome here: We have recipes, party ideas, room makeovers, crafts, tips and tricks, home decor, fashion advice, and more! The code for the button is near the end of this post, or you can add a text link back to me within your post.

Keep reading to see just a few of the posts that caught my eye so far.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Welcome to my Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. I hope you'll link up your best post of the week today, and maybe leave me some comment love. Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link.

This party is a great place to showcase your very best post of the week (home decor, crafts, party ideas, recipes, DIY, etc.) but please do not link to Etsy shops, businesses, items for sale, etc. (I have a Sponsors section, if you'd like to Advertise with me.)

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I jump any time I have the opportunity to work with Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid. I've shared several projects here on the blog that have featured her paints and stencils, and a new one is in the works. Ms. Martha sent a box of goodies my way this week, and it's always like a crafty Christmas going through and seeing fun new tools to play with. I'm sharing the craft box "haul" video with you guys today (featuring everyone's favorite nosy Pomeranian)...would love for you to check it out and let me know what you think!

Here's a sneak peek of the new glass paints and tools:

(If you're viewing this in an email or reader, you'll need to click over to the blog to see the video)

Here are a few pics of the awesomeness that is the new line of glass paints and tools:

Oh, the colors!

Ooh la la...Frost and a spray paint kit?

Nifty tools:

And pretty stencils!

Are you crafty readers excited yet? I know Martha and Plaid will make all of these items available at Michaels. If I can find out the date, I'll share it on my Facebook page, so stay tuned!

I'm on the hunt for something very specific for my glass paint project....

What fun craft or home decor ideas can you come up with Martha's glass paint line?

*Get your party hats on! My Weekend Bloggy Reading link party is scheduled as usual for tomorrow morning (8 am ET), so be sure to swing by with your best post of the week.

Here's the button code for the party if you want to get a head start! Recipes, crafts, home decor, party ideas, tips and tricks, you name it. Come prepared to showcase your blog and find some great weekend reads.

This is Me

I'm a stay-at-home mom of three kids, a fluffy Pomeranian, and a rambunctious German Shepherd puppy. Happily married to T. We live in Virginia, but I secretly dream of what it would be like to have a place in NYC to escape to for random girls' shopping weekends. Target is my home away from home. I stay sane by doing creative projects around my home and taking lots of pictures. Stick around for realistic inspiration...on a budget!

Blog Design By:

All the photos and text on this blog are copyright protected. You may share photos from this blog IF linked back to their original posts and for the sole purpose of featuring my work. Please let me know when you have done so. You may not copy entire articles and posts (even if you link back to me) without my express permission. You may email any such request to amandaserenitynow(at) gmail (dot) com. Please do NOT borrow the pictures to sell your own goods. Thank you!